Young Man Embarks on a Solo Tour Around China, Completing 4745 Kilometers in 26 Days and Spending 3000 Yuan

One day,

My heart said to me: ‘Let’s go on a tour of China!’

I thought for a moment and said: ‘Then let’s set off!’

After preparing for two months, including purchasing equipment for a self-driving tour

I prepared the car, and I chose the Xiaoshanyi (Five Ring) car, which is perfect for my long-term self-driving needs. It has excellent performance, a large space, and low fuel consumption – it’s absolutely perfect.

Xiaoshanyi (Five Ring) car

I could fold down the back seats and add a partition to create a perfect bed.

I had to take the car for a thorough maintenance check before setting off.

Finally, on March 9, 2020, we set off from home in Henan, Shangqiu. We followed the coastline southwards, and we’ve currently arrived in Hainan Island. We’ve passed through 6 provinces and over 20 cities, including Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Hainan.It lasted 26 days and covered 4745 kilometers, costing over 3000 yuan.

Jiangsu Yalong River Crane Wetland Nature Reserve

Yalong River Crane Wetland Nature Reserve

Jiangsu Dafeng’s Giant Deer Park, a World Heritage Site

Giant Deer Park

Self-driving tours involve cooking yourself, which reduces expenses, but you absolutely mustn’t skimp on yourself. Mostly, I prepared dinners myself, with meat included.

Living in the car saves a lot of expenses, and it’s convenient; I can sleep wherever I want.

Our cozy campervan home

My body was still on the road, and my soul was too. I bought two favorite books at a service station to accompany me on my tour of Hua.

Although it was early spring, the beautiful scenery of West Lake in Hangzhou was already visible.

West Lake, Hangzhou

West Lake, Hangzhou

West Lake, Hangzhou

The Volcanic Mountains of Zhejiang, such as Yandang Mountain and Daolongchi (Dragon Pool)

I added some decorations to my car.

I played beach fishing at the beach opposite Xiamen’s Gulangyu Island.

During this trip, I wanted to find deep forests.

Beaches in Shantou, Guangdong, where you can experience beaches.

Shantou

Of course, I couldn’t miss beach fishing.

The Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage of Open-air Stone Houses, characterized by high and sturdy structures with flood and bandit prevention functions, and built according to local terrain and lifestyle. The movie ‘Let the Bullets Fly’ directed by Jiang Wen was filmed here, with the theme of preventing bandits and fighting against the bandit Zhang Maozi.

This small device powered my daily electricity, including my phone, notebook, and flashlight.

Onboard charger

Taking a self-driving tour to Hainan Island required taking a ferry; we had to load the car onto the ship and transport it. The fee was super expensive – it cost 415.5 for a small car.

Ferry to Hainan Island

Hainan Island’s beaches are different from those in other places; everywhere is filled with the scent of coconuts.

It really is a coconut ocean; we can call it ‘Coconut Sea’!

We arrived at the Yandao Rainforest Scenic Area in Sanya, where we can see what a tropical rainforest is.

It’s so hot in Hainan; we’ve all switched to cool equipment in the car.

When we go to Sanya, we can’t miss the East Coast Coconut Grove, where the sand is really fine, and the beach umbrellas are free.

Mount Five is not very high, it’s just a cluster of five connected hills and ridges.

I’ve made some progress on my travel check-in map.

Travel check-in map

Finally, before leaving, I had to try Hainan’s local specialties – coconut pudding.

Now, my trip around Hua is complete, but my tour of China is still waiting for me.

Next, I’m going to Guangxi, Yunnan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, and finally, back home.

Not finished, continue...

Guangxi, Yunnan, I’m coming!

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